Grounded
by Lycanwolff
Summary: Ever since the Seven Sons of the Seven Kings liberated the Angelika, life had become nothing but peace and prosperity, but that calm is soon broken when one of them comes down with the flu. Companion peace to On Angels Wings.


**Grounded**

(A requested companion piece to go with my fic _On Angels Wings._ Requested by Necochan_author. I'm sorry it took so long! I hope you like it!)

Life wasn't how it used to be. It wasn't hiding from the world as if they were monsters that had manifested from a child's nightmare anymore. It wasn't waking up every morning before dawn just to feel the fresh air in their feathers, or to stand on the roof just to feel what it was like to stretch their wings. It wasn't binding them against their backs anymore and it surely wasn't living in fear of humans. Life for the Seven Sons of the Seven Kings, as with every Angelika whom had survived only to be held captive, had entirely changed for the better.

Where their cabin had resided, it had become a modest village where homes of all sizes had been built to accommodate the growing residences of Angelika that flew in everyday in search of a place to call their own. As time passed, being a little over a year since that night The Farm had gone up in smoke, the small village that had come to be called Freedom's Hope had become a sanctuary for all.

The sun's golden rays beamed through the thinned canopy to paint the ground bright orange from the falling leaves of a set in Autumn, crisping the air with that chill of frost and ozone. The sky was blue without a single cloud and streaking through it was scores of Angelika whom had taken to wing to enjoy a late morning soar. Children played and laughed while others worked to make their homes better, and every single building that had sprung up over time had gathered around the largest cabin as if it were telling a story.

It was the home of the Seven Sons of the Seven Kings.

What had started out as a simple cabin had changed, having earned a second story and a total of seven bedrooms so each son would have a space of their own. It was their castle, their home, and now that they didn't need to hide as if they were some mythical unicorn, it was easy to live there full time and fly to school during the week.

Ever since that night a year ago, the Seven Sons of the Seven Kings had become leaders, friends and lovers.

The morning was late, but being the weekend, no one cared. The village was already bustling with children and others looking to get a jump start to their day, but inside the largest cabin, life was just waking up. It was quiet, the sounds of laughter being muffled through the windows and on the eastern side of the cabin, the morning's rays beamed in like a ribbon to touch pale skin and golden hair. Large golden wings rustled and twitched as they flapped to get more comfortable, but with a deep inhale of air, their owner rolled and stretched with a long, drawn out groan.

Ryōta Kise, the son of the Golden King, stirred from his slumber, sitting up and stretching his glistening wings up high to wake them up from laying still for so long. He ran a hand back through his mussed hair to even it out and after a moment to rub his eyes, their golden orbs finally accepted the light without that harsh sting.

With a soft sigh, he stood and let the blanket fall from his entirely nude body, taking a final moment to stretch before pulling up a pair of loose fitting sweats that rested low against his hips. He softly smiled as he checked his wings in the full length mirror hanging on his wall, plucking a few balls of lint from his blanket that had clung to the longer flight feathers and once satisfied that he wasn't a complete mess, he opened his door and headed for the stairs.

"Good morning!" He sang as he padded down the stairs in the common great room of the cabin.

"Morning." Huffed his brother; a tall, dark skinned boy with deep blue hair and shimmering blue wings.

"Morning, Aominecchi. Don't look so grumpy. It'll cause wrinkles." Ryōta chuckled as he ignored the strong glare coming from the dark blue set of eyes in his brother's skull.

"You're awfully chipper this morning, Ryōta. May I ask why?" Asked their leader as it were; Seijūrō Akashi; Otherwise known as the Crimson Emperor.

"No reason. Just happy and looking forward to the day." He smiled as he headed for the kitchen.

Sitting on the couch, huddled together and wrapped in a warm blanket, Shintarō Midorima and his partner and Hawk-wing, Kazunari Takao enjoyed their morning tea. Small white puffs of steam rose from their mugs, but the heat didn't stop them from each taking a sip. Tablets sat ignored on the coffee table, and as Ryōta and Daiki both began to bicker, much like they always did, both simply smiled as Takao nestled back into Shintarō's chest.

"Well, it was a quiet morning." Takao smiled wider as he glanced up into Shintarō's emerald green eyes.

"It wasn't last night!" Came the voice of another brother; Taiga Kagami, from the kitchen.

Both began to burn with the heat of a strong blush.

"Seriously you two... Get a ball gag, or something! Takao moans like a bitch in heat!" Daiki chuckled.

Takao covered his face with the blanket, "I do not! Satsuki's the moaner!" He fired back as Shintarō lowly chuckled and wrapped his arms around his Hawk-wing for warm comfort.

The boys all chuckled at the morning banter, but as he poured his cup of tea, Ryōta noticed that not all were present. Taiga was playing a game on the computer on the far side of the great room while Daiki and Seijūrō read the morning news. Atsushi was snoozing on the other couch next to Shintarō and Takao, leaving the smallest of them, a boy with cerulean hair and sky blue wings, missing.

"Hey... Where's Kurokocchi? I would've thought he'd be up by now." Ryōta said, turning to lean back against the counter as he took his first sip of tea.

The laughter ebbed off as all sets of brows furrowed as they looked around. Their golden brother was right, as their fair skinned, cerulean haired brother was no where to be found. He had always been an early riser, usually the first of them all to wake in the morning, but this time, it seemed that he had slept in.

The strange silence was broken by the subtle intakes of air as Daiki stood from the table, sniffing the air with his nose twitched up towards the ceiling. His browline didn't soften and after another moment, he huffed out his breath to clear his sinuses of the hard, acidic tinge that only he could smell.

"Something's not right... It doesn't smell right." Daiki said, taking another breath to confirm the stench invading his nose.

"What is it?" Seijūrō asked.

"It smells like bile, or... a sickly acidic, or something like that. It's going up the stairs." Daiki said.

"To Kuroko's room?" Taiga asked, his game going forgotten as he stood from the chair.

Daiki shrugged, "I don't know."

"I'm gonna go check." Ryōta said as he set down his tea.

He stepped passed his brothers and headed straight up the stairs, giving his wings a firm flap to bound him up all that much faster and up onto the mezzanine landing. He turned left and headed for the last door on the right, but the closer he got, the sounds of a muffled cough hit his ears.

"Kurokocchi? Are you awake?" Ryōta asked just loud enough for his voice to filter through the door.

However, no voice came back as he leaned in close, placing his ear to the door to give it a listen. Barely audible rustles could be heard and the faintest of coughs was caught before more rustling covered it up. His brows furrowed, but as he stood up straight, the others came up the stairs.

"Is he in there?" Taiga asked as he and Daiki shared a glance.

"I hear some noises, but they're really feint." Ryōta said.

Daiki sniffed the air a few more times, but this time, the stench of a sickly acidic hung on the back of his tongue. He cringed as he covered his nose and with a quick clearing of his throat, he huffed out the odor and grimaced.

"It's coming from his room." He said with a gross gag.

"Kuroko! Open the door!" Taiga suddenly barked loudly as he stepped up next to Ryōta and pounded a fist against the door.

Nothing.

"Hey! Wake up, Kuroko! Open the door!" Taiga pounded a few more times.

"What is it? I'm fine." Came a sound that was familiar, yet different.

"Fine? Then open the door." Taiga said as he glanced around.

"I'm sleepy, Kagami-kun. Maybe later." The voice said.

"Sleepy? Since when?" Daiki interjected.

"Since now. Please let me rest, Aomine-kun." Plead the voice.

"Tetsuya... It's Seijūrō. Please open the door. We just wish to make sure you're alright." He said, coming to stand on Ryōta's other side.

"I assure you that I'm fine-"

The voice gargled and cut off as a retching, hacking and ugly cough shatter its words, making all of them cringe and wince from the sympathetic pain that it caused. It was a horrid sound, one that was like sandpaper against the insides of their chests and as it continued, they had all had enough.

However, as Taiga grabbed the doorknob and turned, nothing happened as it jiggled and remained closed. The door was locked, but as each of them listened, the cough suddenly shifted into a wretch.

"Tetsu! Unlock the door!" Daiki demanded.

Another wretch came through the door and with another hard jiggle of the locked doorknob, Taiga growled and released it.

"Dammit!... The door's locked." He bared his teeth and rustled his wings at the door as if it had insulted them.

"Someone go get Atsushi." Seijūrō ordered.

Without a word, Takao wheeled around and trotted down the hall in the other direction towards the stairs as Ryōta tried the door for himself with the mild hope that Taiga was just inept and couldn't open the door. However, the knob just wiggled again and the door remained closed.

"Something's wrong. I don't like the noises coming from there." Ryōta said, giving up on the door as worry began to rear its ugly head.

"Neither do I, Ryōta." Seijūrō said quietly.

After a few minutes, the large purple Titan emerged at the top of the stairs with his enormous purple wings hanging lazy against his bare back. His shoulder length purple hair was disheveled and mussed and with a huge yawn that he covered with an equally as huge hand, he lazily padded his way towards them with Takao in tow.

"Why?... Why is Kazu-chin ruining my morning nap?" Atsushi grumbled out lazily as he ruffled a hand through his hair to get it out of his face.

"We need your help. Tetsu's door is locked and we need to get inside." Daiki said.

"Why?" Atsushi yawned again.

"We think he's sick." Ryōta said.

Atsushi just yawned again as he stepped through the boys and up to the door, wrapping the knob completely in his giant hand where his knuckles turned white with his impressive strength. The metal groaned and creaked as his arm thickened with muscle and with a hard snap, the knob popped off the door and clattered to the floor.

"Can I go back to sleep-"

Atsushi cut himself off when the door swung open, creaking into the room that was uncharacteristically dark and gloomy. The stench that Daiki had smelt was now a cloud for all to smell and as they covered their noses, they dared to peer inside.

Laying strewn out on his bed with his sky blue wings hanging limp at his sides, Tetsuya Kuroko panted in an attempt to catch his breath. He wore only a pair of shorts, letting the others see the glassy sheen of sweat that was beading off his skin and his eyes had taken on a sunken darkness that ringed them like a border. His hair was damp, his face was a sickly green and splashed all over the floor was a disgusting puddle of vomit that was both fresh and old.

"Kurokocchi!" Ryōta yelped, being the first to dare and step inside.

"N-No... P-Please stay away." Tetsuya crooned out that was near immediately followed by lazy hacks to clear the remaining bile from his throat.

However, Ryōta ignored Tetsuya's desperate whines as he stepped up to the side of his brother's bed and leaned down, brushing aside the sweaty and blue splashes of cerulean hair from his face. He gasped at just how cold Tetsuya felt when his fingers brushed over his forehead and just by looking into the glazed look in the smaller boy's eyes, all he could feel was sympathy.

"Oh, Kurokocchi-" Ryōta exhaled as he slowly knelt down beside him, still keeping his hand against his forehead, "You look awful. You're really sick." He added with a brief glance back over his shoulder.

The others still stood in the doorway, but with Ryōta's worried look, Seijūrō stepped through the small space between Daiki and Taiga and dare to go deeper into the deceased room.

"Why did you not say something, Tetsuya?" Seijūrō asked, standing a few steps back from the bed as Shintarō whispered into Takao's ear.

"I didn't want to trouble anyone. Not with the diplomatic convention coming up between us and the human leaders. I was hoping that this would pass quickly." Tetsuya said weakly, thickening his throat with a shallow swallow that made him cringe from the spicy tang of bile that lingered.

"That's crap, Tetsu. This is serious. I can tell by the smell." Daiki said with a hard furrowing in his brows as he glared at him and crossed his arms.

"It's just a cold." Tetsuya said, unable to stop himself from closing his eyes when Ryōta's hand began to pet his hair.

"No. It's not. Not even close. You look like death warmed over." Taiga said.

"I promise-"

Before Tetsuya could say another word, his stomach lurched and cartwheeled its way up his throat and forced him to roll his head off the bed. A waterfall of neon bile came pouring out of his mouth to splash across the floor, peppering Ryōta's leg, the bedspread and everything the droplets could reach, but instead of jumping away, leaping for safety from the viscous fluid, the Golden Wing didn't move an inch.

"Ssh-" he hushed, "Just breathe, Kurokocchi. It'll be okay." Ryōta said with a soothing calm in his voice as he continued to brush Tetsuya's hair.

"I'm... sorry... Kise-kun." Tetsuya gargled before spitting a large ball from his mouth.

"There's no need." Ryōta smiled sweetly.

"He's in here." Came Shintarō's deeper voice as he looked down the hallway and out of sight.

The others all glanced at the doorway as Wakamatsu and Takao stepped into view, but where Takao nuzzled up into Shintarō's side, the tall Aurora-wing stepped into the room with a red backpack slung over his shoulder.

"By the clouds-" he swore under his breath, "How long have you been feeling like this?" Wakamatsu asked as he gently set the backpack down at the foot of the bed.

"Several hours." Tetsuya said with no energy to move.

Wakamatsu's brows furrowed as he unzipped the bag and tossed open the large flap, exposing an impressive collection of medical supplies that ranged from bandages to crystal clear vials of medication. It was a fully stocked kit of whatever he would need and after only a moment, he pulled on a pair of gloves and picked up a plastic wrapped thermometer.

"Here. Under your tongue." He said bluntly as he slipped the tool exactly where it needed to go.

Tetsuya refused to move as he sunk back into his bed with Ryōta still brushing his hair. He ached all over and was chilled to the bone with no hope of getting warm, but the action of having his hair caressed was a soul cleansing sensation. It helped him to relax, to focus on something other than the retched churns of his stomach that had been constant for an eternity and with each pass of his brother's hand, he felt as if perhaps, maybe, that sleep would finally grace him.

"Shit... He's close to the boiling point." Wakamatsu swore, having slipped the thermometer from Tetsuya's mouth and was glaring at it as if it had insulted his great ancestor.

"What can we do?" Shintarō asked, his arm draped over Takao's shoulder to rest his hand on his lover's side.

"Draw a cold bath." Wakamatsu said.

The lovers wasted no time in heading off to do just that as Wakamatsu slipped the used thermometer back into its wrapping, setting it down on the comforter before digging through the kit some more. He pulled out a stack of wrapped gauze, a box of bandages, and after hunting through a few more specialized items, he pulled out a small empty vial with a rubber topper.

"It smells like the flu, but I'm gonna take some blood to get worked up just so we know." He said, setting the vial aside to hunt for a few more items.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Taiga asked.

"I think so, but we've gotta get our asses in gear and get him into a cold bath to bring his core temperature down. He's sitting at 103.8F and if we don't get it down, we're asking for a whole slew of other issues." Wakamatsu said as he pulled out a small length of banding.

"The bath is drawing now." Said Shintarō, having reappeared from down the hall.

"Good. Lets get that blood sample and then, I want you guys to get him into the bath." Wakamatsu said.

Everyone merely nodded as they watched Wakamatsu work; pulling out the last few items he needed before gently sitting down on the bed and picking up Tetsuya's limp arm. He tied a band around Tetsuya's arm to restrict his blood flow before tapping the crook of the boy's elbow, coaxing a thick vein to rise like a worm during a Spring rain. It plumped his green hued skin as if it was standing at full attention and with his target in his sights, Wakamatsu cleaned the spot and uncapped a needle.

The sharp sting made Tetsuya wince, but when compared to his extreme, all over ache, it was actually a welcomed reprieve. The only noise he could muster was a subtle groan and before he truly knew what had happened, the sting was gone and a small bandage was being placed over the tiny, intentional wound.

"I'll get this over right away. Take good care of him until I get back." Wakamatsu said as he began to pack up.

With Wakamatsu heading out of their cabin turned home, Ryōta continued to stroke Tetsuya's hair while Seijūrō carefully pulled the comforter away from his shivering body. He groaned out his displeasure at the shock of cool air against is fevered skin, but the appearance of warm arms beneath his back was enough to distract him.

His blurry vision focused in close to see that Taiga was lifting him up while Daiki supported his wings from dragging on the floor. He wanted to flutter them, just to move them with the hopes of riding them of the ache, but the energy just wasn't there. Blinking was even a chore, and as the pair began to walk him from the room, Shintarō and Takao stepped inside to begin cleaning up and put new linens on his bed.

"You'll be better soon, Tetsu. I promise." Daiki said with an encouraging smile as he held the pair of cerulean wings beneath his arms.

"Yeah... We'll make sure of it." Taiga grinned.

Tetsuya wanted to smile, to show them that he had heard them, but he wasn't sure whether, or not it was just a fevered dream. Everything hurt, even to breathe and with each step Taiga took towards the bathroom, the subtle jarring made the ache erupt like a geyser. He was truly miserable, but even in his fevered state of ache and vomit, the moment his blurry eyes set on the tub full of cold water, he suddenly had a small amount of energy to resist.

"Please... I'm already cold." Tetsuya groaned as his skin immediately thickened with gooseflesh at just the thought of the water getting close to him.

"You heard what Waka said, Tetsu. We've gotta cool you off." Daiki said as he passed Seijūrō a wing so they could maneuver them together.

"B-But I'm already freezing. Please... No." Tetsuya crooned out as the back of his eyes began to sting with his plea.

"Just take a deep breath, Buddy. Here we go." Taiga said, having reached the edge of the tub far sooner than Tetsuya had hoped.

Tetsuya wanted to beg, would do anything not to feel the shock of cold, but that tiny amount of energy he had managed to scrounge up was already gone. Tears began to fall from the corners of his eyes as Taiga knelt down and before another word was even uttered, groan, or otherwise, the traumatizing shock of debilitating cold crawled up his skin like a rising tide.

"No!" Tetsuya cried with more tears as Taiga settled him down into the cold bath.

The shivering was painful, coursing through his entire body like a car crash and even the tears felt cold as they streaked down his gaunt cheeks. His involuntary sobs hiccuped through his chest and after a few adjustments from Daiki and Seijūrō to settle his wings, he was trapped within the water's freezing confines.

"What can we get you?" Ryōta said softly, pulling up a stool to sit beside his ailing brother and continue stroking his hair with a gentle touch so not to aggravate the ache.

Tetsuya's teeth were chattering like shaking dice, but even through their clatter, he managed to squeeze out mumbled words.

"A-A... c-cup... o-of... t-tea." He chattered.

"I'll get it. Do you want to try something easy on your stomach to get some food down?" Seijūrō asked with a kind smile across his lips.

"N-No... t-thank... y-you." Tetsuya said.

"I'll get Kuro-chin some new clothes for when he's done." Atsushi said as he racked a hand back through his hair.

As the enormous Titan and the Crimson Emperor left the bathroom, Taiga, Daiki and Ryōta were left to watch and listen to Tetsuya's intense shivering. He had curled his arms into his body to try and retain some heat, and his eyes still dripped involuntary tears that fell silently into the cold water of the bath that reflected his shaking. His teeth clattered as if someone was tap dancing to an erotic beat, but with a slow blink that forced a large tear to fall, Tetsuya settled back into the water and rested his head against the bath pillow.

"I-I don't m-mean to b-be such a b-bother to you all." He said, blowing out shaky breaths in an attempt to stem his shaking.

"That's exactly what you aren't, Kurokocchi. We've all been sick before and you're always the first to help take care of us. It's our turn now." Ryōta said with a kind smile.

"Kise's right. Let us take care of you for once." Daiki added with his own crooked grin.

Despite his intense shivering, a smile still managed to spread his ultra pale lips.

"I-If you insist, Aomine-kun." He said with a lazy blink of his still teary eyes.

The others returned the gentle smile as they watched over Tetsuya Kuroko, how his eyes sank further and further with each passing minute. The tears had stopped falling of their own volition and as the shivering slowly ebbed away, calming to no more than a subtle shimmy, the Shadow-wing slipped into a much needed slumber.

"I'll stay with Kurokocchi. Maybe you guys can make some hot soup for when he wakes?" Ryōta asked, still caressing Tetsuya's hair.

"Sure. Some hot broth will probably be okay." Taiga said.

"Uh... We don't have any, Taiga." Daiki said with a cringe.

"We'll make some then. I'll need your help though." Taiga said as he crossed his arms.

Daiki reeled, "I can't cook!"

"Ssh!... Keep it down, Aominecchi! He's sleeping!" Ryōta chastised with a harsh glare and a finger against his lips.

"Sorry!" Daiki whispered with a cringe.

Taiga rolled his eyes, "Come on, Loser. Lets get some chicken broth boiled up." He said with a backhand to Daiki's chest.

"Okay okay. Lead on, Chef." Daiki said with a mock salute.

With Taiga and Daiki taking their near constant bickering somewhere else, Ryōta was the last one to remaining to watch over the sleeping Tetsuya. He hadn't moved and inch from Daiki's sudden outburst, and in fact, he had fallen deeper into his sleep. His head had lazily lolled into his shoulder and his posture had relaxed as his arms fell away from his still clothed chest. He looked completely at peace, serene even and as Ryōta offered a soft smile to the sight, lifting small handfuls of water to clean away stubborn bile, he settled in to help nurse his brother back to health.

"Rest, Kurokocchi. You'll be better in no time."


End file.
